Wheel-fender for railway-cars



(No Model.)

A. L. CLARKE.

WHEEL FENDER FOR RAILWAY CARS. No. 339,857. Patented Apr. 13, 1886.

y I Jizzame UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED L. CLARKE, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

WHEEL-FENDER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339.857, dated April 13, 1886.

Application filed October 6,1883. Serial No. 108,277. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. CLARKE, of Springfield, county of Clark, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Rolling Stock, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a passenger-coach with my improved safety device attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the safety device represented as detached from the coach. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modified form of construction of the safety device. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same, illustrative of the position it occupies in relation to the wheels.

In each of these figures letters of like character indicate corresponding or similar parts.

The object of the invention is to obviate the many injuries that are now sustained through the carelessness of persons in getting on and off of cars while said cars are in motion.

The invention consists in a fender constructed substantially as hereinafter described, andillustrated in the accom panyingdrawings, whereby is produced a fender simple and cheap and effective for the object in view, and one that is not apt to get out of order. These fenders a are formed with their lower portion of larger size thantheir upper portion, either by the lower portion being made wider than the upper portion, as shown in Fig. 2, or of increased thickness, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case it may be of the same width as the upper portion, but in either case, at an angle to the upper portion, 1). as shown, should be placed in advance of the forward wheels of the car and in line with the rails, and to that end they are placed suitably to be in line and in front when the car is run in either direction, as shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings. It is probably not essential that the fenders a a" should be employed on the car, although it would be more proof against accidents if they were.

In Fig. 5 the upper portion, b, of the fender is illustrated as being adapted to be pivoted to some suitable part of the car, and as provided with a lateral arm, a, which is acted on by a spring, d, that restores it to its place when moved slightly back by the fender striking against some obstructions. The fenders should be placed on the front and rear of each car and over each rail of the track, and in the drawings they are illustrated as attached to the brake-beam, although it is obvious that they may be attached to the truck or body of the car .in any suitable manner to answer the purpose, and they may be made rigid in stead of yielding without departing from the spirit of thisinvention. The face of the fend ers is represented as standing obliquely to the rails, in order that they may the more readily perform their function, although this may not be absolutely necessary.

I am aware that a track-cleaner has been constructed embracing the following elements: a lug or arm secured to the car-bod y, a scraper pivoted to said arm, and a spiral spring socured at one end to the scraper and at the opposite end to the arm secured to the car-body, as illustrated in a patent heretofore granted; but such construction I do not desire to claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a car, of a laterally yielding spring fender suspended beneath the car in advanceof the car-wheel, said fender comprising a lower sheet-metal portion suspended in front of and obliquely to the width of the wheels, and an upper spring-metal portion bent near its upper end to form a helix or coil, which upper portion is secured to the car, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of October, 1883.

ALFRED L. CLARKE. 

